Smoke Daddy welcomes future workers from LaSalle II Elementary School in East Village
One of the lessons was pork-pulling with gloves on
Doug Pompa, new Smoke Daddy General Manager, gives a rib roasting lesson
A group of nearly 60, eager 1st-grade students from LaSalle II Elementary School, 1148 N. Honore St., in East Village, were invited to experience work behind the scenes at a local Wicker Park restaurant. Smoke Daddy, 1804 W. Division St., staff greeted them and put them through their paces.
They were given information about where various types of meat are located on an animal. They watched how the meat was cooked. They did some food prep steps as well as tasted various BBQ sauces.
After all the work, they all got to eat
"Going into a walk-in refrigerator is always a big hit for kids," says Josh Rutherford, one of the four owners of 4 Star Restaurant Group, which includes Smoke Daddy in Wicker Park and several other restaurants including Dunlays in Logan Square. "It is good for them to understand some of the inner workings of a restaurant. They really seem to enjoy it."
Pictures tell the story of how they not only enjoyed the experience but also the food.
Photos courtesy of Ronda Locke